More Air France AF447 bodies recovered

Brazilian authorities have recovered three more bodies from crashed Air France flight AF447 and more bodies have been seen but not yet retrieved.

Brazilian Navy Captain Giucemar Tabosa Cardoso said pilots searching the mid-Atlantic also spotted an undetermined number of additional bodies from the air and ships had been sent to recover them

In Brazil, Air Force Colonel Henry Munhoz said he could not immediately provide information on how many more bodies were spotted from the air, but said ships should be able to recover some of them within hours despite rainy weather and poor visibility.

None of the bodies recovered Sunday had documents with them to indicate their identities, and authorities did not specify their gender. The first two bodies, found Saturday, were men.

The three bodies were found about 70 kilometers (45 miles) from the site where the Airbus A300-200 series jetliner sent out a burst of messages indicating it was experiencing a series of electric failures and losing cabin pressure.

Brazilian authorities continue to refuse to comment on the condition of the bodies – leading many to speculate they may have been eaten by sharks – saying it would be too emotionally painful for relatives.

Searchers have also spotted two airplane seats and other debris with Air France’s logo, and they have recovered jet wing fragments and other plane debris.

Hundreds of personal items belonging to the passengers have also been recovered,

The bodies and plane wreckage will be transported Monday to the Brazilian islands of Fernando de Noronha, where the military has set up a staging post for the search operation.

From there, remains and debris will be taken to the northeastern coastal city of Recife for identification.

Air France Flight 447 emitted its last signals roughly 400 miles (640km) northeast of the Fernando de Noronha islands.

The Pentagon has said there are no signs of terrorism, while Brazil’s defense minister said the possibility was never considered.

However, while French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner agreed that there is no evidence supporting a “terrorism theory,” he said, “we cannot discard that for now.”